DEKALB — Lutheran has run the floor with a fast-paced attack all season long, using 3-pointers in transition and fast-break layups to roll all the way to Tuesday night’s supersectional matchup with Peoria Notre Dame.

Now, going up against a tough 2-3 zone-defense team, it will be the Crusaders’ strength against the Irish’s strength, and the winner goes to the Class 3A state tournament in Peoria this weekend.

“They have been so business-like all season, and they’re taking this one the same way,” fourth-year Crusader head coach Tom Guse said. “This is the kind of matchup we want, but we still have to go out and execute our game. And, hit our shots.”

Lutheran (29-3) has battled back into position to reach state, just two years after taking third in the 2A bracket. And most of the way, they’ve hit their shots when they’ve counted. They have made an impressive 41 percent of their 3-point field goals this year, draining 282 shots from behind the arc.

Peoria Notre Dame (21-12) is known for its stingy 2-3 zone defense, and for its slow style of offense. They leave nothing to the imagination when it comes to what they plan on doing against Lutheran, too.

“We needed to be a zone team; we needed that to be our niche, and now it is,” Irish head coach Tom Lacher said. “It keeps us in ballgames, and it’s gotten us this far. But this Lutheran team, this team scares me. They’re just awfully athletic and they can all shoot from anywhere. That (Thomas) Kopelman is about as good as it gets, and that (Nate) Wieting guy is just one of the many tough, tough kids they have out there.”

Kopelman leads the Crusaders with 116 3-pointers on the season and is averaging 23.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Wieting is at 12.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest and Joe Kellen (12.4 points) and Kendall Lawson (9.3 points) are part of the deep arsenal that Lutheran brings to the table.

And forward Ryan Dolan, who was shooting 58 percent from 3-point range before breaking both ankles in separate incidents, could be close to returning for the already-balanced Crusaders as well.

“Everybody knows us as this high-intensity offensive team with a lot of weapons. We’re going to need them all,” Kopelman said. “We’ve got to make this game our speed. We know what they like to do, and they know what we do. Obviously, this one will come down to who can do their thing better.

“We’re confident.”

Page 2 of 2 - Senior guard Shea Feehan leads the Irish charge with 24.1 points per game, while 6-foot-6 forward Peter Hanley is averaging eight points and six rebounds and is a big force in the zone defense.

And while Lacher is “scared,” he insists his players are confident as the Irish search for their first trip to the boys state basketball tournament.

“Our kids aren’t afraid or intimidated by anybody,” Lacher added. “We’ve played all kinds of teams in all kinds of places this year. And while Lutheran believes in their style and in what they can do, we believe in ours, too. We’ll go see what we can do, won’t we?”